California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Latest update: April 26, 2000
jeanne
Susan

Go to Violent Neighborhoods, Violent Children About halfway down the file, you'll find Table 2:

Alcohol and marijuana use was found to be much more prevalent among seriously delinquent boys (table 2). Only 7 percent of the good kids and 7 percent of the fighters reported drinking hard liquor without adult permission, compared with 12 percent of the property offenders, 30 percent of the dealers, 39 percent of the property offenders/drug dealers, and 60 percent of the robbers. Overall, a greater number of boys reported drinking wine or beer without adult permission than hard liquor, and once again, the more delinquent boys were more likely to do so. Slightly more than 10 percent of the good kids and fighters, approximately one-third of the dealers and property offenders, and more than half of the property offender/drug dealers and robbers reported drinking beer or wine without adult permission. Similarly, marijuana use was reported by 11 percent of the good kids, 27 percent of the property offenders, 70 percent of the property offenders/drug dealers, and 80 percent of the robbers. The dealers reported the greatest use of marijuana, at 90 percent; the fighters reported the least use, at 7 percent. Although the study generally found a strong association between using hard liquor or marijuana and committing delinquent acts generally (with boys who used hard liquor committing a significantly greater number of all types of delinquent acts, including violent crimes, and those who used marijuana committing more property crimes and drug deals), it found no such relationship between the use of marijuana and the commission of violent crimes. Marijuana users, for example, reported committing more assaults, on average, than the boys who did not use marijuana, but these differences were not statistically significant.

Statistics students, give your own conclusions and interpretations to Table 2.